


Parent-Teacher Conferences

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Category: The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cute, Elementary School, Gen, Parent-teacher interviews, teacher problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22179556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: For Miriam, parent-teacher conferences can be stressful. But when it comes to Amun, her secret favourite student, she finds herself looking forward to meeting with Rameses and Nefertari to report just how far their son has come.
Relationships: Nefertari Meritmut of Egypt/Rameses II of Egypt
Kudos: 17





	Parent-Teacher Conferences

**Author's Note:**

> Here's another episode of this modern-day AU. This time, we're focusing on Miriam, who is an elementary teacher to a Grade 1 classroom at a private school in Toronto. As someone who is studying to become a teacher (albeit a high school teacher), this was kinda fun to write.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this fic!

The bell rings, a sharp sound that makes Miriam stop writing on the board and set the chalk back down on the ledge as she turns to her class with a smile.

“Alright, you’re all free to go!” she tells them. “Remember to do your math handout for tomorrow, got it?”

“Yes, Ms. Haddad!” a few kids say as everyone gets up from their desks.

“I’ll see some of you this afternoon for parent-teacher interviews!” she continues, erasing the board.

Her students gradually leave the classroom with their bags and coats, but the only one who doesn’t go straight for the door is little Amun Abdoullah. Instead, he goes straight up to her desk with a small smile.

Miriam returns the smile. “What’s up?” she asks.

“I drew this for you, Ms. Haddad,” Amun says, handing her a drawing.

She takes the paper and looks at it. It’s a drawing of her with a gold cup trophy that reads ‘Best Teacher’.

Miriam can’t help but smile, putting her hand over her heart. “Oh, thank you, Amun!” she says, touched. “That’s very sweet of you!”

“I really like being in your class,” Amun tells her. “And I like you, Ms. Haddad. You’re really fun.”

Smiling still, Miriam sets the drawing down. “I’m glad you’re enjoying my class,” she says. “I also enjoy teaching you, Amun. You’ve come pretty far since you first moved.”

Amun grins. “Thank you!” he says, thrilled. “Will you tell my parents about it this afternoon?”

“Of course I will,” Miriam says with a chuckle. “I’ll see you this afternoon?”

Amun nods, heading to the door. “See you, Ms. Haddad!” he says, leaving the classroom.

As the chatter of students in the hallways gradually recedes, Miriam starts setting up her classroom for the upcoming parent-teacher interviews. She sets up some chairs at the round table in the back of the room, and outside her classroom, and then gets her folder of students’ report cards out on her desk. Finally, she opens up her laptop and looks through her schedule for interviews.

With all of that taken care of, she then gets her lunch out to eat.

“Alright… who’s up first?” Miriam murmurs to herself, looking through her schedule as she takes a bite of her salad.

It’s been a busy day for Miriam Haddad. With parent-teacher interviews happening this afternoon, pretty much all the students in the school have been dismissed early so that the teachers can prepare.

Even though she’s pretty much used to parent-teacher interviews, Miriam always finds it an interesting experience. After all, she gets a large variety of students each year, and their parents always have various kinds of personalities. There are those who are involved and are eager to support and help their kid, those who are indifferent, and those who insist their kid can do no wrong.

The last category is always the worst one for her.

Miriam loves her students. She can’t even choose a favourite batch of students because they’re all so different and unique. But when they have parents who are stubborn or constantly arguing with her, it can get pretty exhausting. And if there’s any drama between the parents, then the air can become quite tense and awkward.

She glances at Amun’s drawing from the corner of her eye and smiles again.

Indeed, the kid’s come pretty far from where he was when he first moved here from Egypt. He’d been a little bit shy when introducing himself to his classmates, but Miriam has made sure to help him get used to the classroom environment and adjust to a new country and culture.

Amun has adapted very quickly, and he’s now one of the most actively-participating students in her class. He’s also become pretty good friends with several of his classmates, and has quickly become the “teacher’s pet”, per se.

Miriam won’t lie, she’s so glad to have Amun in her class. He’s a good kid with a lot of potential, and she wants to help him reach it.

Once she’s read through her interview schedule, she takes out a stack of geography worksheets, in which the kids had to label a world map, and resumes marking them. She has some time to kill, at least before the first set of parents come in.

It’s the usual process: check off what the kids got right, circle the wrong answers, and give half-marks for any minor spelling errors. Once that’s done, Miriam writes their total at the top of the page and puts a small sticker on the pages of those who did exceptionally well.

Just as she finishes up with marking, a small knock on the door gets her attention. Miriam looks up and sees Mrs. Asenath Kassar-Levi, the Grade Five teacher, standing in the doorway.

“How’s it going?” Asenath asks her.

Miriam nods with a smile. “It’s going pretty good,” she says, setting her papers aside. “You ready for parent-teacher interviews?”

Asenath shrugs. “I suppose so,” she says. “Though… there is one kid in my class whose parents I’m a little nervous about meeting.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, this kid… he’s been rather bothersome to some of the girls in my class,” Asenath explains. “One girl in particular, he won’t leave her alone even when she asks, and she absolutely hates his guts now. Then, last week, he decided to yank at her ponytail, despite her asking him to leave her alone. She just decked him in the face, and he tried to get her in trouble with me. I just told him that he should have left her alone, and did nothing.”

“Ah.” Miriam smiles sympathetically. “What happened after that?”

“His parents are now coming in to try and convince me of their son’s innocence,” Asenath tells her. “I’m going to be telling them just what he’s been doing to some of the girls in my class, and I have all the proof to show them.”

Miriam raises an eyebrow, impressed. “Wow,” she says. “What kind of proof?”

“Oh, just some notes I took down, some of the vandalized belongings the girl gave to me. Maybe then they’ll actually listen to me.” Asenath sighs. “Sometimes I wish I was teaching the first or second grade. Those kids are much nicer, aren’t they?”

“I mean, first and second grade kids have their challenges, too,” Miriam points out. “They may be sweet and all, but it’s not very easy teaching a class full of energetic six and seven-year-olds, you know?”

Asenath nods thoughtfully. “Touché,” she concedes.

“But good on that girl for standing up for herself,” Miriam praises. “If she wants to learn some self-defense skills, I can give her the address of the studio where my sister-in-law works.”

“Oh, really?”

“You bet. She was a combat instructor in the IDF, and she’s  _ not _ to be messed with. I visit her regularly to brush up on my own skills every now and then.”

A chuckle spills from Asenath’s lips. “Honestly, I think you and your entire family isn’t to be messed with,” she jokes. “You all did time in the IDF, right?”

“We sure did.” Miriam smiles faintly. “We aren’t really confrontational people, my brothers and I, but if push comes to shove, we will fight back if necessary.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to talk to her about it,” Asenath promises with a smile. “Anyways, good luck with your interviews.”

“You too,” Miriam tells her, waving slightly as Asenath heads back to her own classroom.

For a while, Miriam continues marking her students’ worksheets, entering the grades into her computer, occasionally chatting with other teachers who decide to stop by, and even helping out parents who are looking for their children’s classrooms.

Eventually, just after she finishes marking and grading, Miriam glances at the clock and notices that it’s already one o’clock. Her first set of parents should be here soon, so she goes to check outside her classroom.

And sure enough, the two parents are sitting outside, talking quietly to each other in Russian. Also waiting with them is little Galina Ivanova.

“Hello there,” Miriam greets, getting their attention.

Galina smiles shyly at Miriam. “Hello…” she murmurs, looking away.

“Come in, have a seat,” Miriam invites them, leading the family inside the classroom to the table in the back. “As you may know, I’m Miriam Haddad. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The mother smiles back. “I’m Anya, and this is my husband Dmitri,” she introduces with a strong Russian accent, sitting down in the chair.

“It’s good to meet you,” Dmitri says, also speaking with a strong Russian accent. “Our little Galochka has always talked about you at home.”

Miriam smiles. “Oh, well… thank you,” she chuckles. “Let’s get started.”

She gets them their daughter’s report card, showing it to them while discussing the progress that she’s been making. Of course, Anya and Dmitri occasionally ask questions, clearly interested in how they can help Galina in her participation marks, as well as how to help her overcome her shyness.

All in all, the meeting goes well, and before Miriam even realizes, their meeting is finished.

“Thank you again for this, Ms. Haddad,” Anya thanks her. “It really was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Oh, it was wonderful meeting you too!” Miriam says with a smile. “Take care!”

As Anya and Dmitri leave with Galina, the next set of parents enter the classroom for their meeting.

For the most part, the interviews are quick and to the point. And as always, Miriam is able to see quite a variety in parents’ personalities. She’s also learned how to pick up on body language, and it really shows just how involved a parent is in their child’s life.

There are parents who listen carefully to what she says, clearly interested in supporting their child. They tend to take notes, let their kid speak, and ask questions to know what they can do.

On the other hand, there are some parents who clearly don’t think highly of their kids, and it shows in how they interact with them. Those meetings are the worst ones; it’s obvious that the kids are being emotionally abused, and by the end of it, Miriam just wishes she could give the poor kids a hug and tell the parents to shut up, that they know nothing. All she can do, though, is call CPS after the meeting.

And then there are parents who are involved in their own drama, and Miriam is lucky enough (or perhaps, unlucky?) to witness it right before her with three sets of parents.

“Maybe if his  _ mother _ actually bothered to raise him, he’d be getting better marks in your class!” little Mason’s dad snarls.

“See? This is why you need full custody! Obviously, I’d be a better mother than  _ her,” _ his stepmom chimes in.

_ Why, why, why? This is not the place for divorce drama!  _ Miriam thinks, cringing internally. And just looking at Mason himself, who’s just sitting quietly and looking down, makes her feel sad.

“That’s enough. We’re talking about your son, not your personal lives,” Miriam says firmly, cutting through the parents’ conversation.

Then there’s the second set of parents, whose kid has often gotten into trouble for excessive swearing. Just from watching the parents argue, she gets a better understanding.

_ Well, I can see where he picked it up from…  _ she thinks, amazed at some of the rather creative curses the parents throw at each other.

And then there’s the dad who has been having an affair with another woman (word tends to travel fast when the ex-wife is a teacher here), whom he actually brought with him, and for the entire conference (and for a moment, Miriam feels outraged on behalf of his ex), they’re busy badmouthing the ex-wife and yelling at little Jenny for not accepting the other woman as her new mom. And all Jenny can do is just sit there quietly.

_ You really have no shame, don’t you? _ Miriam thinks in anger, staring in disbelief at the dad. 

“I’m sorry, but you both need to stop,” she tells them both, her voice firmer than ever. “This is a parent-teacher interview, and if neither you nor her stop yelling at Jenny, I  _ will  _ kick the both of you out.”

Amazingly, they both shut up, albeit while glaring at her.

Miriam makes a mental note to email the ex-wife about her ex’s actions and how Jenny’s been treated at the end of the day.

By the time their interview is done and the family is gone, Miriam is already exhausted. Fortunately, she has a brief reprieve before her next set of parents, but right now, she just wants to go back to her apartment, roll herself up in a blanket, and watch some cheesy soap operas on TV.

“Man, I need some coffee…” she mumbles to herself.

According to her schedule, her next interview is with Amun and his parents, something that Miriam has been kind of looking forward to, honestly.

She still remembers the first time she’d met them for real, when they’d first moved to Toronto. The principal had called her down to meet Amun on his first day in the school, and while she’d been very surprised to see Rameses and his wife in the office, she’d made sure to be polite and pleasant towards them. Despite the fairly tentative atmosphere that had been there, Rameses and Nefertari had been just as polite to her, and it did give Miriam a rather… hopeful feeling.

And since Moses has wanted to try and mend things with Rameses, Miriam has also been doing her best to support her little brother.

It’s kind of strange that Amun has been put in her classroom, but honestly, Miriam can’t complain. She truly enjoys teaching such an eager boy, and she can’t wait to tell his parents about how far he’s progressed.

Eventually, she starts hearing some quiet conversation in Arabic outside the classroom. Getting up, Miriam heads to the door and peers around the corner, and that’s when she sees Rameses, Nefertari, and Amun waiting outside.

“Ah, you’re here,” Miriam greets them, getting their attention.

Rameses turns to face her, Nefertari looks up at her from her phone, and Amun grins as he slides off his dad’s lap.

“Hello, Ms. Haddad!” he greets her.

Miriam smiles at him. “Hello again, Amun,” she says. “Please, come in and have a seat at the table in the back.”

With a nod, Rameses gets up from his chair and enters the classroom, followed by Nefertari and Amun.

As Miriam goes to retrieve Amun’s report card and some of his assignments, she can’t help but notice just how classy both Rameses and Nefertari look. While Rameses is in his typical business suit, Nefertari is dressed in quite a classy dark-blue ensemble.

“It’s good to see you again,” Miriam says, sitting down. “How are you doing?”

“We’re doing good,” Rameses says pleasantly.

“I’m fine,” Nefertari adds. “And you?”

“Oh, I’m good,” Miriam says with a smile. “Now then, let’s get started, shall we?”

As Rameses and Nefertari listen, Miriam opens up the conversation.

“I’m sure you’ve read this already, but the goal of parent-teacher interviews is to share your child’s academic growth and progress, as well as how your child interacts with the school environment,” she begins.

“How well is Amun doing?” Rameses asks.

Miriam smiles. “Oh, he’s doing quite well,” she tells him. “He was a little shy on his first day, but he’s come pretty far, I’d say. He loves participating in class, he makes sure to complete his worksheets in-class as much as he can, and he gets along very well with his classmates.”

Nefertari smiles at that. “Yes, he really loves school,” she explains. “Every day, he comes home telling us what he learned in class, what he has for homework, and how much he loves being in your class.”

“Is that so?” Miriam asks, raising an eyebrow. “Well, that’s good to hear!”

“So which subjects are his strongest?” Nefertari asks.

Miriam brings out Amun’s report card. “So, his strongest subjects are Language Arts, Music, and Math,” she says, showing it to them. “And here are some of the assignments he gave to me in those classes.”

Rameses looks through the worksheets, and then turns to Amun with a smile.

“Good job, Amun,” he says, earning a grin from his son.

“So those are his best subjects,” Miriam says. “The subjects that need a bit of fine-tuning, per se, are mainly Science, French, and Social Studies. Does Amun like any of those subjects?”

“Not too much, no,” Rameses says.

“But you know, despite the fact that he struggles a bit, he puts in a lot of effort in his work,” Miriam continues. “If he’s having difficulties, he’s willing to ask me for help, and that’s something I really appreciate. I do think we should develop a plan to help him get better in these subjects. How does that sound?”

Nefertari nods. “That sounds like a good idea,” she agrees.

So Miriam starts taking notes while talking, sharing certain strategies that Rameses and Nefertari can use to help their son get better in Science, French, and Social Studies. As she does this, she notices just how closely they’re paying attention and listening to her; a sharp contrast to other well-off, rich parents who are indifferent to their child’s education.

It’s quite obvious that they both love Amun and want him to do well, and knowing that makes her feel pretty happy.

“Socially, how well is Amun doing?” Rameses asks.

“Well, he’s made some friends here, and he’s always coming up to me to see if he can help me with anything,” Miriam says with a smile. “When the lunch bell rings, he’ll come up to me and ask if he can help me put things away, just always wanting to help out.”

Amun grins at that. “I just like helping out,” he says.

Rameses smiles at Amun. “Is that so?” he asks. “You’ve really taken a liking to your teacher, haven’t you?”

“He also likes giving me drawings. Here’s one he turned in today.” Miriam shows them the drawing from this afternoon. “I never even expected it, but it’s such a lovely surprise.”

“Ms. Haddad has helped me out a lot,” Amun explains. “I thought it would be good to show her my thanks.”

Miriam feels so touched at that, and even Rameses and Nefertari can’t hide their smiles. 

“I’m always happy to help,” Miriam says with a smile. “And you’ve come a long way from your first day here, so I’m very proud of you.”

“But it means a lot to us,” Rameses says, a genuine smile on his face. “It’s so good to hear that Amun has grown to like you so much because of your help.”

“Well, I…” Miriam averts her eyes, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “I don’t really know what to say to that. Um… thank you.”

She then glances up at the clock. “Looks like our meeting is over,” she says, getting up from her chair. “Thank you again for coming, it was great to meet you again.”

“Thank you for meeting with us,” Nefertari says, shaking her hand with a smile. “And thank you again for everything you’ve done for Amun.”

“Yes, it was nice meeting you too,” Rameses adds, also shaking her hand. “Come, Amun. Let’s go home.”

Amun nods, but before he joins his parents, he quickly throws his arms around Miriam in a tight hug.

For a moment, Miriam just stands there, very surprised. However, she can’t stop herself from smiling as she hugs him back before pulling away. “Thank you, Amun,” she says gently. “I really needed that hug.”

Amun smiles at her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Haddad!” he says, turning to join his smiling parents.

Only when they leave the classroom does Miriam realize that she feels a little choked up. She swallows the lump in her throat before starting to pack up her things to go home.

And as she heads to the parking lot to her car, Miriam can’t help but think that perhaps Moses is right.

Maybe his efforts at salvaging his friendship with Rameses has really helped them all.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, Miriam seems like someone who would make a great teacher for kids; she's very kind and patient, and she also seems like she'd give great hugs.
> 
> Also, did anyone catch Asenath and the two Don Bluth animated characters? ;)
> 
> Please let me know how I did, and have a good one!


End file.
